withdraw

American  

[with-draw, with-] / wɪðˈdrɔ, wɪθ- /

verb (used with object)

• withdraws,
  present (3rd person singular)
• withdrew,
  past
• withdrawn,
  past participle
• withdrawing
  present participle

1. to draw back, away, or aside; take back; remove.

   She withdrew her hand from his. He withdrew his savings from the bank.

2. to retract or recall.

   to withdraw an untrue charge.

   Synonyms:

   disavow, rescind, revoke

3. to cause (a person) to undergo withdrawal from addiction to a substance.

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verb (used without object)

• withdraws,
  present (3rd person singular)
• withdrew,
  past
• withdrawn,
  past participle
• withdrawing
  present participle

1. to go or move back, away, or aside; retire; retreat.

   to withdraw from the room.

2. to remove oneself from some activity, competition, etc..

   He withdrew before I could nominate him.

3. to cease using or consuming an addictive narcotic (followed byfrom ).

   to withdraw from heroin.

4. Parliamentary Procedure. to remove an amendment, motion, etc., from consideration.

withdraw British  

/ wɪðˈdrɔː /

verb

1. (tr) to take or draw back or away; remove

2. (tr) to remove from deposit or investment in a bank, building society, etc

3. (tr) to retract or recall (a statement, promise, etc)

4. (intr) to retire or retreat

   the troops withdrew

5. to back out (of) or depart (from)

   he withdrew from public life

6. (intr) to detach oneself socially, emotionally, or mentally

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Synonym Usage

See depart.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• withdrawer
  noun
• withdrawingness
  noun
• nonwithdrawable
  adjective
• unwithdrawable
  adjective
• unwithdrawing
  adjective
• withdrawable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• withdrawing
  present
• withdrawn
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• withdraw
  simple
• withdraws
  simple
• have withdrawn
  perfect
• has withdrawn
  perfect
• am withdrawing
  progressive
• are withdrawing
  progressive
• is withdrawing
  progressive
• have been withdrawing
  perfect progressive
• has been withdrawing
  perfect progressive

Past

• withdrew
  simple
• had withdrawn
  perfect
• was withdrawing
  progressive
• were withdrawing
  progressive
• had been withdrawing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will withdraw
  simple
• will have withdrawn
  perfect
• will be withdrawing
  progressive
• will have been withdrawing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of withdraw

First recorded in 1175–1225, withdraw is from the Middle English word withdrawen. See with-, draw

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Explanation

To withdraw is to take something back or remove yourself from a situation. You might withdraw money from the bank or withdraw yourself from an argument if it gets out of hand. The word withdraw comes from Middle English and still means to draw or take back, like if you withdraw your hand when you’re done holding hands with someone. A newer definition of withdraw is to stay away from others or stop participating in something. You might withdraw from society by holing up in your house, or withdraw from school by dropping out. Another way to withdraw is to promise to do something but then change your mind.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

withdraw withdraws withdrew withdrawn withdrawing

A panel of judges, following the law, refused to allow Habba to serve in an interim capacity, forcing Trump to withdraw her name from consideration for the job, designating her acting U.S. attorney instead.

From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026

South Korea's foreign ministry said Tuesday it will withdraw some staff from its embassy in Ukraine, as a diplomatic row deepens over the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to Seoul.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026

But clients have continued to ask to withdraw their money, and its stock recently dipped to near all-time lows—bad news for employees’ stock-based pay.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

So if your actual annual expenses were $100,000 a year, you would need to withdraw more than 2.5% from your nest egg to cover the taxes.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

He was lean and sun-darkened, and he could withdraw his own personality until he made no stir of anger or jealousy.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

Here’s a simplified example: John’s top tax rate is 22% and could be 22% when he withdraws from retirement accounts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

If she takes the full RMD in February and runs the QCD in November, she reports $40,000 of income but withdraws $55,000 overall.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

If he withdraws by Monday, though, local Republican officials in his district could approve a new nominee.

From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026

Calvin wants to see the penalty removed if somebody withdraws.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

He steals softly over the grass, careful to make no sound; he pauses—fancying she has stirred: he withdraws: not for worlds would he be seen.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Although the Board withdrew the rules package in September to make clarity edits, it expects to resubmit it to the Office of Administrative Law in November, a Board spokesperson said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

India and South Korea -- which built circuits specifically to host Formula 1 -- eventually withdrew as their financial losses mounted.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Last week, Downing Street insisted the airbase was safe after the US withdrew all of its bombers – about a dozen B-1s from the base – back to their home stations on American soil.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Zheng Qinwen withdrew from her home tournament in Wuhan after becoming the first Chinese player to win the China Open.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

The foot Ivan tugged on kicked out at him and then withdrew.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

And if they are withdrawn for unreimbursed, qualified medical expenses, they are also tax-free.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

According to online court records, two of the three cases were settled and one was withdrawn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

BMW has withdrawn an offer to lease a car to a politician from the far-right AfD party who was elected to a top post in a regional German parliament, officials said Friday.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Interest on Treasurys is taxable when paid or when withdrawn from a retirement account or IRA.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Beto was extra helpful and affectionate, but Cari was withdrawn, still fuming over Naomi’s refusal to tell a story.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Customers are sometimes withdrawing their deposits, dealers said, opting for a second-choice vehicle they can get sooner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

A little queue had formed at the station ATM, where commuters were withdrawing cash to buy physical transit cards so they could get on the train.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

That’s where sequence-of-returns risk comes in: The order in which gains and losses occur can matter greatly when you are withdrawing money.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

UUP leader Jon Burrows has said withdrawing ministers from the executive is not the answer.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

“It is not time,” he said, and she felt him withdrawing from her.

From "Ash" by Malinda Lo

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Related Words

• depart
• disengage
• drop out
• eliminate
• go
• leave
• pull back
• pull out
• quit
• retire
• retreat

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